So here are the stats for the past 4 weeks. What amazes me is that I can run close to 800kms and still only be basically the same weight. That shows that I either eat or drink enough to compensate or I'm such an extremely efficient runner that I hardly burn any calories when I run! I'd prefer to think its the later but sadly it's not, I'm a bit of a pig when it comes to the chow!

On with the training and fingers crossed I can get through to the marathon starting line in one piece.

The link is a clip is of Japanese kids enjoying their World Cup success. There were a few empty looking classrooms in Japan yesterday, I'll give you the drum!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I'm having some problems with my socks of late. It's not just because of the high mileage even in normal situations I have a knack for putting holes in socks. I really go through the blighters. Seriously, I took my last two pairs back the the shop after less than two sessions running. Even when the nails are trimmed I still put holes in them.

If I buy really expensive thick winter type ones they will last but I'm looking for thin summer type ones that last!

Do you know of any?

While this problem is annoying I have taken to making "sock puppets" out of the broken ones and it has, in fact, helped me to break the ice with strangers ;)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

This high mileage is starting to take its toll. You know it took me three tries to even get that last sentence out right. The First one read: "This high molage is strating to take its troll." So I'll keep this short.

201Ks this week and coming on the back of 200K + last week I'm shafted and I think it's time to back off a little before something breaks. While I have been handling the runs and have in fact had some beauties in the last month, the good runs are getting fewer and farther between.

Today I did 16K in the morning and 22K in the afternoon. Before both runs I felt hobbled like the guy from the movie "Misery" and although I did come good at the end it was just too hot, 32 degrees today, and now I have a thirst I just can't quench! A sure sign that I'm overdoing it.

Next week I'll back off a bit and try to get some more sleep but the "World Cup" in Sth Africa isn't helping matters. The games are all on from midnight to later in the morning here and I do like watching sport ;)

Just as well I don't have "Direct TV" or Cable were I'd get all of the games. I'd have to watch every game and "that would be painful!"

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Just read the interview with Keith Bateman that Rick put a link to on his blog. I was interested in the following comment

"I have consulted a dietitian to make sure my diet is tuned to distance running"

What does it mean exactly, a diet tuned to distance running? If you can help make that a bit clearer for me please do. I'd be interested to know specifics like what kind of food you should be eating daily, while training etc.

Anyway if you can shed any light on this subject I'd appreciate it.

Another old song. You are going to have to humour me in relation to 80s music but it seems I have a penchant for it these days. And this song also alludes to another 200K week under the belt! "How long can you stand the heat?" ;)

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Relaxing on the floor watching TV this afternoon when my wife walks in and says "You're ranking!" I responded "Alright, I'll just finish watching this and go take a bath" No sooner had I said that when I was struck in the back of the head with the new edition of "Japan's Marathon Yearly, top 100, Rankings."

Seems like I'm 21 again! That is, I ranked 21st on the list of top 100 hundred 45 year old marathon runners in Japan, last year! The number 1 ranked 45 year old who raced a marathon in Japan last year did it in 2:29:57. With my new beard I'm going to go gunning for that fella ;)

Having trouble scanning this book but when I do I'll show you some of the stats, really pretty interesting.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

I'm thinking about growing my beard long. Somewhere between the "Alpha male" short trimmed one I have now and a "Hobo" transient crazy looking one. I want my competition at the next marathon to be thinking, as I shoot past them, "Hey now that looks like a guy that likes camping....wait a minute! Why is he running so fast!!!"

Should be sufficient to blow a few minds and give me a competitive advantage. Still there is also the danger that I will come off looking like a pedophile rapist but I'm married and not looking to impress the ladiez!

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Had my boy's school's sports day last weekend. Enjoyed that and I'm please to report that although they both came last in their 100 meter races they were only last by a few feet not the long last that they usually are! Doesn't take much to make this Dad proud ;)

Had to take a day off yesterday due to work and frankly feeling spent. The ankles and Achilles are tender and sore to the touch and I've been avoiding hungry cats, small children and shopping trolleys, basically anything that might inadvertently rub and/or bump them.

This week will be just over 170K, down from last week still on track and higher than this time last marathon build up. One thing, if you want to run high mileage I'd suggest you always get in a good run before breakfast. If you miss that one it is hard to make it up in the evening and I find, more often than not, that if I miss the morning run I will take the day off altogether, rather than try to make it up or just do a short one.

Anyway back to work. Uploaded are some photos from the kid's sports day.

Followers

QUOTES

"No one would have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm"

Charles Kettering

"Do not be too moral, you may cheat yourself out of much life. Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something."

Henry David Thoreau

“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”

Charles Kingsley

"Happiness is different from pleasure. Happiness has something to do with struggling and enduring and accomplishing."

George Sheehan

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind."

Dr. Seuss

"In case you haven't been keeping track of current events, we just got our asses kicked."

Soldier, from the movie Aliens.

"Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness."

Dostoyefsky

"Running is the most universal sport on the planet. Every able bodied human being has competed in a running race. There has, and always will be, running. Running is even more universal than sex, more universal than any other accomplishment, more universal than any language, art or music genre. The best runners in the world are the ultimate human beings. "

Sean Williams

“Believe in yourself, know yourself, deny yourself, and be humble.”

John Treacy

"What do we live for if not to make life less difficult for each other?"

Roger Bannister

"You manage what you measure"

old management adage

"A quality shoe cushions the foot. It helps absorb against the impact of an unforgiving terrain. It also provides support against ankle roll, ruptured Achilles. And in some instances……….. Death!"

"Coach" Rick Hoffman

"That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest"

Henry David Thoreau

"There are no limits, there are only plateaus, and you must go beyond them"
Bruce Lee

Magazine Covers

From top to bottom:

Emi and I, my youngest son, (now grown up a bit), my Japanese niece, myself (still not grown up at all), the family, my eldest son (now grown up a bit).

SELF HELP

"Without knowing it, you may be ascribing to other people the feelings you are experiencing yourself. Because you hate yourself, you think other people hate you. This is known as projection. sometimes of course other people really do hate you. This is known as hatred. There is not much you can do about it. You're probably just the sort of person that people hate."

Road Rage

"To avoid succumbing to road rage, close your eyes and imaging you are lying in a beautiful meadow on a summer's day. Touch the blades of grass. Smell the wild flowers. See the butterflies flitting past.

Hear the sound of tearing metal as you drive into the car in front of you."

Victim

"You are a victim because you believe you don't deserve any better. It doesn't always have to be this way. Let somebody else be a victim for a change. Next time you're walking down a busy street, push somebody else under a bus and shout, 'look a victim, and it's somebody else!'

Deal with any residual guilt feelings by using Reiki healing techniques."

The inner core

"Lie down in a grassy park and relax completely. Close your eyes. Access your deep inner core by listening to your breathing. After a few minutes, you will find yourself suffused by a feeling of warmth.